Burglar-alarm



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. W. J. AGKBRMAN. BURGLAR ALARM.

Patented Oct. '7, 1890.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. W. J. ACKERMAN. BURGLAR ALARM.

N0. 438,127. Patented Oct. '7, 1890.

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UNITED STATES PATENT ()EEIcE.

\VILLIAM J. ACKERMAN, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

B U RG LAR-ALARM SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.438,127, dated October 7, 1890.

Application filed October 22, 1889. Serial No. 327,825- (No model.)Patented in Canada November 16, 1889, No- 32851.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. ACKERMAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State of Michigan,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Burglar-Alarms,(for which I have obtained Letters Patent from the DominionofOanada,numbered 32,851,and bearing date November 16, 1889,) of which thefollowing is a specificaton.

My invention relates to improvements in electric burglar-alarms; and itsobjects are, first, to provide a burglar-alarm with which a window-sashcannot be raised without sounding an alarm; second, to provide aburglaralarm with which a window-glass cannot be out, broken, or removedwithout sounding an alarm; third, to provide aburglar-alarm with which aslight pressure upon the outside of a sash or glass will sound an alarm,and, fourth, to provide a burglar-alarm with which a sash-lock cannot bedrawn or loosened with out sounding an alarm. I accomplish these resultsby the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whichFigure l is asection of a sash-stile and a window-jamb cut away to showthe relative position of the several parts of my appliance. Fig. 2 is across-section of the same on the line a; 00 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows theface of a window-jamb and the edge of a sashstile with my applianceattached and connected with an electric battery and an alarm-bell. Fig.at shows the presser-bar operated by a coiled spring. Fig. 5 is asection of a door stile and jamb, showing how the plates that areconnected with the electric bell and battery and the spring M may beapplied to a door-lock; and Fig. 6 shows the face of a doorj amb withthe lock-plate removed to show the relative position of these severalparts.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

A is a presser-bar.

B is the base that supports the presser-bar and connections.

0 is a metallic standard for the support of the presser ba-r.

O is a metallic plate arranged to act with the presser-bar in completingor breaking the electric circuit.

D and D are metallic plates secured to the edge of the sash-stile forthe purpose of completing the electric circuit through the plates E andE on the face of the window-jamb.

E is a metallic plate attached to the window-jamb for the purpose ofcompleting the circuit of electricity through the plates D D and E E byraising the sash.

F is a section of a window-jamb.

G is a section of a sash-stile.

II and H are insulated wires for completing the electric circuit.

I is a spring for holding the back end of the presser-bar up, so as toforce the outer end a upon the surface of the glass.

J is a standard or support for the presserbar.

K is a pivot, by means of which the presserbar is secured to and turnsupon the standard J L is a sash-lock.

M is a metallic spring inserted in the window-jamb to connect with theplates E and E to complete the electric circuit when the sashlock isdrawn.

0 is a window glassfl is a spring, and Q is astop.

R is a mortise through the sash-stile for the reception of mypresser-bar support.

S is an electric battery, and T is an alarmbell.

In constructing my improved burglar-alarm I attach my presser-bar A to abase B, of some firm non-conductor of electricity, by passing a screw orbolt K through the presser-bar and into a standard J in such a mannerthat it will act as a pivot, upon which the presser-bar will turn inthrowing the outer end a to or from the glass, and the standard J ispivoted into the upper and lower flanges of the plate 0 in such a mannerthat the outer end of the presser-bar may be thrown up over the surfaceof the glass to the position indicated by the dotted lines A, andsecured to the edge of the sash-stile by means of the sliding catch 1),or may be extended out over the surface of the glassto the positionshown at A.

The plate 0 is secured to the base B by means of screws or othersuitable device, and is made substantially in the form shown.

I attach a metallic plate 0 to the base Bin such aposition that it isdisconnected from the plate 0, and that the back end of the presser-barWill come-between two metallic surfaces, as shown in Fig.2, in such amanner that a slight movement of the outer end of the presser-bar to orfrom the glass will bring one side or the other of the back end incontact with the surface of this plate.

I attach a spring I to the base Bin such a position that its free endwill bear upon the back side of the end of the presser-bar whenextended, and hold the bar firmly in place, and for the purpose ofadjustingthe position of the prsser-bar andof regulating its action uponthe plate 0, I place an adjustable screw d through the outer end of thebar, arranged to rest upon the surface of the-glass, as shown in Fig. 2.

The spring I may be aflat spring, as shown in Fig. 1, and act upon thepresser-bar in one direction only, or it may be a coil-spring, as shownin Fig. 4, in which case it may be made to throw the presser-bar bothout, over, and firmly upon the surface of the glass, the latter motionbeing attained by so arranging the spring that the outer end of the coilwill incline outward, so as to press upon the back side of the back endof the presser-bar and throw the outer end at d upon the glass at thesame time that the spring of the coil throws it around over the glass.

For the purpose of securing the presser-bar in position at the edge ofthe sash-stile, as indicated by the dotted lines A, I place acatch bupon the style in such a position that it may be thrown over the end ofthe presserbar, and when the flat spring I, Fig. 1, is used I place aspring b in the stile to throw the presser-bar out to position over theglass.

To attach the presser-bar and connections to a window-sash, I beat amortise B through the sash-stile and insert the base 13 until the plate,0 comes flush with the ogee of the stile, the base 13 and the plates 0and O fitting the mortise sufiiciently close to hold the whole firmly inplace. -I then secure two metallic plates D and D to the back edge ofthe sash .stile, one of which is connected with the presser-bar throughthe insulated wire H, which is electrically attached at one end to theplate D and at the opposite end to the plate 0, the plate 0, thestandard J, and the pivot K, and the other with the plate 0, through theinsulated Wire H, which is connected at one end with the plate D and atthe other end with the plate 0', and the two metallic plates E and E tothe face of the window-jamb directly opposite to and connected,respectively, with the lower ends of the plates D and D and are alsoconnected respectively with the positive and negative poles of anelectric battery, and with alarmbells through the insulated Wires II H,connected, respectively, with these plates and with an electric batteryand alarm-bell in the usual manner.

For the purpose of providing against the raising of the window-sash, Iattach a metallic plate E to the face of the window-jamb directly abovethe plates E and E ata proper distance so that it will not touch. Theupper end of the plate stands just above the upper ends of the plates DD on the sash-stile. The body of this plate is inserted into thewindow-jamb far enough so that it cannot come in contact with the plateson the stile; but the upper end is sprung out and left free to pressupon the edge of the stile, so that if the sash is raised it will comein contact with the plates on the edge of the stile and complete thecircuit of electricity through the several plates and an alarm will besounded.

It sometimes happens that a sash is loose enough in the frame so that itmay be thrown to one side far enough so that the plates D and D would beentirely disconnected from the plates E, E, and E and render it possibleto raise the sash or press upon the glass without sounding an alarm. Iguard against this, first, by making the plates on the jamb so that theywill spring out toward the sashstile a short distance; second, by meansof inserting a metallic plate or spring into the window-jamb, one endbeing rigidly secured and the other end left free to spring out and bearupon the plates that are connected with the electric battery andalarm-bells. This spring I place in a position so that when thesash-lock bears upon or enters the jamb it will press upon it and forcethe free end away from the plates and break the electric current; butwhen the sash-lock is drawn for raising the window it will spring outagainst the plates, as shown in Fig. 3. n

This appliance may be attached with good effect to a door-lock bysecuring it back of the lock-plate in position so that the lockbolt willact upon it as the sask-lock acts in a window. The connecting of theplates that are connected with the electric battery and bells throughthis spring by the action of the lock-bolt will complete the electriccurrent and sound an alarm. WVhen used in this connection, I find itnecessary to insert a nonconducting substance m between the plates E Eand the lock-plate to disconnect these plates and prevent an electricalcircuit independent of the spring.

I provide for averting the possibility of pressing open the sash orglass for removing the glass when the presser bar is not extended overthe glass by placing the plates E and E in such a position that a slightlateral movement of the sash will bring oneof the plates upon thesash-stile to bear upon both of the plates on the jamb and complete thecircuit; and to avert the danger of a lateral movement of the sash whennot desired I place a spring P between the edge of the sash and thewindow-stop in such a position that it will hold the sash against theouter stop and the edges of the plates D and E apart. I do not confinemyself to this particular form of connectingbylateral motion, but preferthis form. My appliance may be placed upon both sides of the sash byduplicating the Presser-bars and their connections and connecting themwith those already described in the usual manner.

As the connecting of electric batteries and alarm-bells beyond thepoints described as my invention is old and thoroughly understood byelectrical experts, I wil not attempt to describe it further; but,

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. The combination, in a burglar-alarm, of a metallic presser-barpivoted to a standard in which it will have a Vertical and a lateralmotion, supported on a non-conducting base, a conducting-plate soarranged that the back end of the presser-bar stands suspended betweentwo metallic surfaces, a spring for holding the presser-bar in position,metallic plates on the edge of the sash-stile, connected with themetallic plates C and O and bearing upon plates E l on the face of thewindow-jamb, and plates E E in the window-jambs connected with thepositive and negative poles of an electric battery and with alarm-bells,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination, in a burglar-alarm, of a presscr-bar pivoted to astandard in such a manner that it may be given a vertical or a lateralmotion, a conducting-plate O for the support of the standard, aconducting-plate 0, arranged so that the back end of the presser-barwill stand suspended between these two metallic surfaces, a spring forholding the presser-bar in position, an adjustingscrew, a catch to holdthe presser-bar against the face of the sash-stile, a non-conductingbase for the support of the presser-bar and the conducting plates andspring, metallic plates secured to the edge of the sash-stile andconnected with the metallic plates 0 and G, a plate attached to thewindow-jamb at the upper end of the plates on the sash-stile, and platesattached to the window-jamb at the lower end of and in contact with theplates on the sash-stile, connected by wires with an electric batteryand alarm-bells, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

The combination, in a burglar-alarm, of a presser-bar pivoted to astandard which is supported upon a non conducting base, a spring forholding the presser-bar in position, a metallic plate for completing theelectric circuit through the presser-bar, metallic plates on the edge ofthe sash-stile having a metallic connection with plates C and O and withplates on the face of the window-jamb, and metallic plates on the jambconnected with the positive and negative poles of an electric batteryand with alarm-bells, with a metallic spring inserted into thewindow-jamb back of the sash-lock, the upper end of which will bebrought in contact with the metallic plates that are connected with anelectric battery and alarm-bells when the lock-bolt is drawn,substantiallyas and for the purpose set forth.

electric battery and bells, with plates attached to the edge of thesash-stile considerably longer than the plates on the jamb, and a plateon the jamb back of the upper end of the plates on the stile, saidplates being formed to complete an electric circuit with the others,

substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. The combination, in a burglar-alarm, of metallic plates secured tothe jamb and connected with an electric battery and alarmbells, andmetallic plates secured to the edge of the saslrstile and connected witha metallic plate and a presser-bar, with a metallic presser-bar pivotedto a standard that is secured to the sash-stile, a spring for holdingthe presser-bar in position, a connectingplate at the back end of thepresser-bar so situated that the end of the bar will be suspendedbetween two metallic surfaces, the presser-bar and the plate beingconnected with the plates D and D, respectively, by electric conductors,and an adjusting device for the presser-bar, substantially as and forthe purpose set forth.

7. The combination, in a burglar-alarm, of metallic plates secured tothe window-jamb and connected with an electric battery and bells, andmetallic plates secured to the sashstile, with a spring between thesash-stile and stop, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

8. The combination, in a burglar-alarm, of metallic plates secured tothe window-jamb and connected with an electric battery and alarm-bells,plates secured to the edge of the sash-stile, and a connecting-platesecured to the jamb above the upper end of the plates on the stile, witha spring between the sashstile and stop, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

9. The combination, in a burglar-alarm, of plates on the jamb connectedwith an electric battery and bells, plates on the sash-stile connectedwith the plates on the jamb and with a presser-bar, a presser-barconnected with plates upon the sash-stile, supported in the sash-stileupon a non-conducting base and pivoted to a conducting-standard, and aconnecting-plate, with aspring between the sashstile and stop,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

10. The combination, in a burglar-alarm, of metallic plates secured tothe window-jamb and connected with an electric battery and alarm-bellswith plates on the sash-stile, a connecting-plate on the jamb at theupper ends of the plates on the stile, a spring back of the sash-lock toconnect with the plates that connect with the battery, a presser-barsecured upon the sash-stile, conducting-plates connected with thepresser-bar and with the plates on the sash-stile, and a spring betweenthe sash-stile and the jamb, substantially as and for the purpose setforth.

11. The combination,in a burglar-alarm, of plates on the jamb connectedwith an electric battery and bells and plates on the edge of thesash-stile, with a spring in thejamb atthe lower end of the plates thatare connected with the battery to be acted upon by the lock bolt, and aspring between the sash'stile and the stop, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

WVILLIAM J. ACKERM AN.

In presence of- ITHIEL J. CILLEY, D. A. MORRILL.

